Thursday, October 29, 2009

I know I posted about this previously but at the time, I didn't have the specifics in front of me....so here ya go! Notice a slight change in the hours...we will close at 7:00 on Friday, rather than 8:00 as we have during previous open house events.

Bring the kiddos out on Friday evening to visit with our special guest! Hope to see you then!

Tuesday, October 27, 2009

Well it's been quite a week since my last post. I no sooner hit the "publish post" button when I'd heard from John that I'd have to go pick him up over in Beardstown. The truck was going to the shop for, most likely, a new clutch. I was working away at home on Thursday when I got a call from my mil...she was at a follow-up doctors appt from her trip to the ER on Tuesday and her doctor admitted her to the hospital to run test. Saturday was a little road trip to get John a new pair of boots. He wears a good pair of boots til they are practically fallin' off his feet. Sunday was the annual toy run. 253 bikes! Now that is not only alot of bikes for a toy run, that's ALOT of toys and canned food items plus cash donations for our local charities!

Mom is home from the hospital (dismissed yesterday). Truck fixed and John back to work. I took him back yesterday and took a little detour thru Hannibal on the way home for a little fabric shop fix! I didn't really need or want anything...just wanted to look and be overwhelmed at all the fabrics and the possibilites. I did get a couple of cuts of wool felt...and it was on sale, like near 50% off! I like that! But that was it. It's been so gloomy here of late. Saturday was really nice and Sunday was beautiful until about an hour after the toy run then the sky opened up and it's been ugly out since. It doesn't look like it's goin' to be none too pretty a day today either!

I've got lots on my list of things to do today. I finished up another little x-stitch from Primitive Bettys plus the "thankful" one I finished the other day that I'd like to get completely finished. I found a couple of little snowman stitcheries by Twigs I'd started who knows how long ago that I'd like to finish the stitching on and work into pillows. I think I have a snowman punchneedle that needs to be finished into a pillow, too! And I have a snowman order to fill so I drew out the pattern for that this morning in hopes of at least getting them traced, sewn and cut today!

I thought I'd share with you a few photos from my sewing room...yes, still calling it that, out of habit, I guess. This is an idea from the Aug/Sept/Oct issue of Where Women Create. I was inspired to create my own...a good place for buttons, snaps, rusty tin pieces, etc...

A cupboard full of goodies....fabrics, favorite magazines, old spools awaiting to be made into make-do's. See the little tin in the middle there on top? It's an old fruitcake tin...full of buttons that belonged to my Grandma Prewitt.... some people would of kept the buttons and pitched the old tin....nope...can't do it. I'll keep it forever! And yes, I do use buttons from it. It is so full of buttons, I'll never use them all!

And this is a little cubby box that I use for little bits of fabric that aren't so big they need to go in the cupboard. Much easier to keep track of in this!

Wednesday, October 21, 2009

Well, it took just over a month since closing date to get it done, but Ely and Liz are now moved into their house. And that means.....

I get that bedroom..........again! I've had supplies strung from one end of the house to the other

since making room for their temporary stay. As I was gathering and moving things into the room yesterday, I felt as if I were the one moving! I didn't realize I had moved that much stuff out of that room! Not to mention the new things I'd accummulated in the time they were here!

I got this cupboard moved into the room last night and Harley and Clyde jumped right on it....or should I say...IN it! As I emptied baskets or totes, they were in them as if I were clearing them out just for them to play in!

As I work to put this work space together for myself yet again, I struggle on what to call this space exactly. Over the years when I've had a work room, I've always referred to it as "my sewing room"...for that was basically all I used it for. But now I incorporate so much more into my work than just sewing, not to mention the computer space being in this room as well. Sewing or work room sounds rather boring yet "studio" doesn't seem to fit either. I guess because I've always associated a studio as a space set apart or detached from the rest of the house where this space is a room in the house. Spare or guest room doesn't suit as it's not set up as such a room. What do you call the area in which you create?

Speaking of which.....I just received a copy of this magazine I'd been reading about for some time. I don't know why I put off checking it out or why I stopped at just ordering the current issue! Awesome magazine!

Where Women Create.....Inspiring work spaces of extraordinary women

I'm trying to put a little more thought into arranging my room than I did before. Looking at the different studios featured in this magazine helps me to realize that I don't have to have everything "put away". It's okay to have it out and within reach!

I've been working on this since yesterday....taking a little coffee break...It's going rather quickly.

I don't have as much weeding out as I did before as I don't buy as many of those "I'll use it one of these days" items like I used to. I usually have a specific project in mind when I buy something now.

I think the one thing I over-buy on now is floss.....this is my stash.....

...do you think I might have a floss addiction? All this plus what I have carded in my floss organizer and yet when I'm working on something I seem to run out of at least one of the colors I'm using! Anyways...I'd better get back at it...just a bit more to do. I want to get back to creating tomorrow!

Monday, October 19, 2009

What a weekend! My brother in law, Sam, went on a guy's weekend fishing trip, so Marsha decided to take her own weekend and come spend it with us! By the time she got here and we had both worked that day, we just spent the evening at the house, relaxed and visited.

Saturday morning, we decided to go to Columbia to meet up with our sisters, Denni and Denise and our nephew, Peyton. We didn't really have any plans....stopped at Joanns then met up with them at Hobby Lobby. After that we went to Rio Grande Mexican restraunt....Pey really likes tacos! With sour cream!! LOL

John had gotten a call that morning that it was Columbias Toy Run for the Salvation Army so after helping Ely move appliances, he hopped on the bike to participate in that! Since we were in Columbia, we went out to meet them so Pey could see all the bikes....and SANTA! He was surprised to see that Santa was also going to ride a motorcycle!

And of course he wanted to sit on Uncle Johns motorcycle....

And it seems he forgot all about his Mom and his aunts while he was with Uncle John! We waited til they all took off before we went on our way....****************************There is a huge antique store just a few miles from my house that I can rarely catch open when I have the time to stop....well we actually caught them open when on our way back home. I found a few treasures....I'll "remake" the basket and I've got a couple projects in mind for the mini-creamers and the keys.The little cross-stitch is my little weekend project....I'll be finishing it into something this week! It's another little design by Primitive Betty!

So that was my weekend! I'd better get myself off this machine and get myself ready for work....I get to be a seamstress today!

Last week it seems all we had were clouds and rain! ugh! Made for a depressing week but we are on like day 3 now of sunshine AND we get some warmer temps...it's been really cool here and with the rain we've had it's seemed even colder! I got quite a list of things to do while it's nice out!

Wednesday, October 14, 2009

Another chilly rainy day here in our parts~! I think it is supposed to be a clear day tomorrow. I don't mind if it's chilly, as long as it's dry...no rain, no drizzle...

I stayed home on Monday after having several days of running here and there...in between loads of laundry and other household chores, I picked up a punchneedle project that was already in the hoop with only a few punches in it....I almost said forget it since we're so far into October already, but I knew that if I done that, the chances of me picking it up next year were slim to none. So here it is.....a last minute Halloween ditty...a design by Primitive Betty's...done on weavers cloth, punched with 6 strand dmc floss. That 6-strand is the way to punch!

Since it's so late, I took this to the mercantile rather than listing in my Etsy shoppe. As I mentioned in a previous post, the mercantile open house is right around the corner....

Randolph Mercantile Holiday Open House.....

Friday, November 6th, 9:30 am - 8 pm

Saturday, November 7th, 10 am - 5 pm

Sunday, November 8th, 10 am - 4 pm

Free gift with $30 purchase and free gift PLUS Randolph Mercantile sweatshirt with $100 purchase!I'll take some pics in the next couple weeks.....

Thursday, October 8, 2009

Awhile ago, I posted about decorating a bra for a contest for Ellis Fischel Cancer Center Auxiliary in Columbia, MO. This past Tuesday evening was the big event so Marsha and I met up with Denni to attend the reception/silent auction. There were several categories that were judged by a select group then those attending got to cast their vote for the People's Choice. Sorry to say, our motorcycle themed bra didn't place in any category but it did receive a couple of bids so someone did get to take it home! There were 133 bras decorated! I thought I'd share a few of them with you here....

Monday, October 5, 2009

I hope you had a nice weekend! John finally got back to work on Friday.... he finally got to feeling better without a trip to the doctor....unfortunately, he passed it to me and Ely! I don't have time to be sick! I've been painting over at Ely's and we are about to get that finished up. I'm waiting on my bil to bring a taller ladder to finish up so I'll be working at home today....I think....You know how that goes!

The temperatures have really started dropping here. I got up Saturday morning, looked at the temp in the house....63 it said! I caved! I turned the heat on...not too warm, just enough to keep the chill off! It won't be long and we'll have to start that fireplace!

I just put some stew meat on to brown before putting it in the slowcooker with stew fixin's and the plans are to make some homemade rolls to go with it! I've not made homemade bread in a spell. I don't think it's a SECRET family recipe, so I thought I'd share my favorite roll recipe with you.... This comes from John's Great-Aunt Pearl (twin to his Grandma Merle)... I don't know how she came by this recipe...over the years it's just became known as....

AUNT PEARL'S ROLLS

1 cup lukewarm water

1 pkg active dry yeast

1 egg

2 tbsp shortening

2 tbsp sugar

1 tsp salt

3 cups flour

Sift flour, sugar and salt together. In a mixing bowl, dissolve yeast in water. Add 1/2 dry ingredients. Add shortening and egg. Mix in the rest of the dry ingredients. Let rise until double in size. Knead down and make into rolls. Place rolls in greased pan. Let rise until double in size. Bake 20-25 minutes in 400 degree oven. Makes 12 large rolls. Enjoy!

This also makes for great cinnamon rolls!

Now on to start my day... I think I will spend the morning working on that stocking order...pieces are all cut, just have to start the stitching.